I was both surprised and pleased when Jerry asked me to join the "kids" email-o-gram.

We never met face-to-face, but we had about twelve years of correspondence between us that began with a letter I wrote to the Winetrader. Once, after I badgered the hell out of him for many years, Jerry even paid me to write something for the Winetrader!

I had the idea that it would be nice if his kids could somehow find a way to work together to keep the Winetrader alive. Me being one of the libertines of the group, I would be happy to rant and rave the way Jerry did, but of course, never as effectively.

When Jerry died I was amazed at how badly I felt to lose someone whom I never even spoke with directly. That is a testament to a real powerful personality--his.